[VAC] locks - knockoffs and nice people..(a little long, but some good info).

[jim clark <jec1938@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Last year my door lock failed, locking one in and one out... after a couple 
of days of concerted effort, I replaced the lock with what I believed to be 
a TriMark lock which was supplied with two little double sided keys...It 
was a major effort which I accomplished at the trailer park with the tools 
I had with me and a few purchased at the local hardware...

To shorten the story up some, one of the keys was lost somewhere in the 
Chicago area and we decided to get keys made.. The local locksmith who is 
pretty well equipped, could not match the key blank... Apparently hundreds 
of different lock styles are coming into the country with key blanks that 
are close to, but not exactly like anything stocked.. The key we needed was 
like a Fiat auto keyblank, but not close enough...

With some searching, I found the lock at the All - Rite.com site and 
decided I had a TriMark 60-250 series lock...With some effort I pried the 
service number of TriMark out of All-Rite and it is 800-431-8616.....

A call to TriMark and some discussion about the stampings on the key 
produced the information that what I had was a Fastec lock which TriMark 
said was a copy of theirs..( looks like an exact copy to me)....and they 
had no idea where to contact Fastec, somewhere in Indiana they 
thought...Internet searches on Fastek and Fastec brought info on financial 
organizations, and everything manufactured for anyone anywhere in the 
world..but nothing on locks...(I later found that Fastec locks are supplied 
by a separate division within the Fastec Industrial Hardware group..)

Mary suggested I call the place where I bought the lock and I was sure that 
was way too simple and while trying to make contact with the parts man at 
the Quietwoods RV  in Sturgeon Bay , WI.. I contacted all my favorite 
Airstream dealers.  Everyone I talked to tried to help and gave some leads 
that ran out...Quietwoods called and knew what I was talking about right 
away... After finding out  I was in the Chicago Area , I was given the 
number for KZ trailer which uses the lock on their Sportsman series of 
trailer...by now too late in the day to hook up to KZ...a call to a 
Sportsman dealer came up with an out of stock answer...

A new day and a call to KZ parts and the info that if I would look at the 
inside of the inside handle there is an 800 # that will answer all my 
problems... but they gave me the number ... Fastec... 800-837-2505  located 
in Elkhart IN..(219-262-2505)
Five minutes with the lady at the Fastec lock division parts came up with 
the keys , as many as I want already cut...or blank if I preferred....I 
don't have the keys yet, so I may not have solved the problem... but I am 
on a high so don't rain on my parade...

Here are the numbers that were a little tough to get... easy now I know 
where to look...

Fastec Lock Customer Service.  800-837-2505  located in Elkhart 
IN..(219-262-2505)

TriMark Lock Customer Service..800-431-8616..


Jim Clark

jec1938@corecomm.net